A Vibrant Seattle Through Transportation Excellence.

Yup, there’s a lot of construction downtown.

– like a LOT, a lot – and we know it can be a challenge to get around whether you’re driving, biking or walking. That’s why we have rules – SDOT Director’s Rules, to be exact. These rules help us make sure that safety and mobility are at the top of the list when it comes to construction that might affect you getting around town.

We use this Director’s Rule to coordinate with builders to try and avoid sidewalk/path closures when we can, but sometimes a closure is best for safety, or it can help make a project go faster. We start thinking about how closures may affect travelers around a project loooong before orange construction signs go up. For example, we started coordinating with contractors on the massive Rainier Square Project at 5th and Union downtown nearly two years ago. Some of things we had to consider:

What developers wanted to do:

Close the sidewalk on 4th Ave during the holiday season.

Close the bus lane 24/7 on 4th Ave for 1.5 years.

Close traffic lane 24/7 on 5th Ave for 1.5 years.

What both sides decided on:

Sidewalk closed only between 7 AM to 6 PM, Mon – Fri, for only a week during the holiday season.

Bus lane closure reduced from 1.5 years to 4 weeks.

Traffic lane closed between 9 AM and 3 PM.

Thanks to coordination, pre-planning, and developer creativity, we were able to agree on a project plan.

Sure, both sides made compromises, but in the end, we all met our goals of safety, keeping people moving, and project efficiency. (Director’s) Rules do work!

Today, the Rainier Square Project is completing the demolition and starting to dig a big hole in the ground with signs letting people know how to get around it. But in the near future, it’ll be shiny and new, and look like this:

Safe and happy traveling!

Magnolia will soon be better connected to the citywide bike network with a new protected bike lane (PBL) along Gilman Avenue W, but not without a few bumps (pun intended) along the way. We’ve heard you Magnolia, and we recognize your concerns about the project.

Some residents feel the community input process wasn’t thorough.

We take community engagement very seriously. As we complete this important bike network infrastructure, we’ll continue to work with any neighbors who have questions or concerns. We worked hard to include community feedback into the design and apologize if neighbors feel their voices haven’t been heard. To receive email on construction updates and provide feedback, contact Dan Anderson, Dan.A.Anderson@Seattle.gov.

Traffic backups at the W Emerson Pl and Gilman Ave W intersection.

Yes, we reconfigured the 4-way stop intersection to improve safety for all travelers at the intersection, adding space to separate cars from cyclists traveling to and from the popular Ship Canal Trail. We’re continuing to monitor the impact on drivers during peak times and potential for back ups. In the meantime, try these alternative routes into Magnolia:

W Dravus St and the Magnolia Bridge farther south.

Or if you live or work in north Magnolia, you can take a right at 21st Ave W to W Commodore Way, leading to the Fort St Bridge over the railroad tracks on 27th Ave W.

Got that? 😆

Bike commuters are frustrated with the setup during the construction phase.

We share your frustration. Sometimes the best organized plans have a SNAFU. In this case, delayed delivery of critical materials like posts and hardware have contributed to the delay. But good news! Crews installed posts along the PBL this week, separating cyclists from traffic, and next week new pavement markings will be installed to increase visibility and safety. And coming soon, a new bike signal at W Dravus St will help mitigate confusion by making it more obvious where the lanes are, helping travelers adjust to the new layout.

We thank the community for your feedback and patience while the work is completed. We’re committed to monitoring the new street design and intersections both during and after construction to see what’s happening.

The new Gilman Ave W protected bike lane:

When it comes to bike commuting, the old street layout wasn’t hospitable to all abilities or ages. The upgrade will directly connect Magnolia neighborhood cyclists with three of the city’s key bikeways:

Elliot Bay Trail to downtown

Ship Canal Trail to Fremont Bridge, Westlake, and South Lake Union

Ballard Locks footpath to the popular Burke-Gilman Trail

Adding a two-way PBL:

Without taking away a car lane, the 1.5-mile route will add a two-way protected bike lane on the west side of the arterial; currently there’s a striped bike/parking lane on both sides of the street that sandwiches cyclists precariously between traffic that’s hurtling along at up to 40 miles-per-hour and occasional parked cars (aka, the “door zone”).

Changes to existing car lanes:

Changes won’t only protect cyclists, but by narrowing the existing car lanes, car speeds are expected to drop. Data shows that car speeds on Gilman Ave W often exceed the posted limit and there have been several serious crashes over the years.We looked at available crash data and found that there were 186 reported collisions in the project area over the past 14 years. Six of those crashes injured people. At least four cyclist and pedestrian crashes occurred at both the intersections of 20th Ave W & W Dravus St, and Gilman Ave W & W Emerson St during that time period. Exactly why we’ve focused resources on making safety improvements at both intersections by separating pedestrians and cyclists from car travel lanes.

If you haven’t heard, Seattle is one of the fastest growing cities in the country. In fact, we’re over 704,000 strong and counting. That’s 100,000 more people than a decade ago. You also may have heard that population growth and construction go hand in hand.

Ensure similar work coincides, reducing impacts, and time spent in the right of way

Create an at-a-glance look at projects across the city

Provide on-demand information for all construction projects

dotMaps:

We also recently launched dotMaps, an interactive project coordination tool that will help improve visibility into city construction and minimize road work impacts on the public. Now our project managers have a visual representation of all ongoing construction overlaid on a city map along with timelines and project information. This cool new resource has already helped us coordinate projects in Pioneer Square, South Lake Union and Downtown.

Features:

You too can get the skinny on our projects from start to finish with this interactive map. Just a few of the cool features for you to explore:

Pan and zoom the map to your neighborhood to see blocks with planned projects

Did you miss the 23rd Avenue Corridor Improvements Project open house last week? No worries! You can still view the open house materials and share your feedback with us through our online open house until Tuesday, October 17. Visit the site to learn more about upcoming Phase 2 construction from S Jackson Street to Rainier Avenue S, expected to begin as soon as April 2018.

We’re listening and we want to hear from you. We understand the importance of coordinating with other agencies and their projects adjacent to 23rd Avenue S and in the surrounding area. To learn more about these projects including the Sound Transit Judkins Park Station, Community House, and Vulcan explore the Coordination page of our online open house.

At the open house, we shared how we’ve incorporated community feedback into the final project design and information about priority hire. Priority hire will require the Phase 2 construction contractor to complete a percentage of project hours with apprentice and journey level workers from economically distressed zip codes. The program also includes goals for the construction contractor to employ women and people of color for a percentage of project hours.

Our goal is to enhance safety and mobility for people who walk, drive, and take transit, as well as completing important infrastructure improvements. North of S Holgate Street, 23rd Avenue S will be modified from two lanes in each direction to one wider lane in each direction, with a center turn lane. This configuration is in current use on 23rd Avenue from S Jackson Street to E Madison Street, part of Phase 1 construction.

We’ll share more specifics about the construction schedule and expected impacts in early 2018 at an open house, after a contractor has been selected. For more information or to request a project briefing, please email 23rdAveCorridor@seattle.gov or call 206-727-8857.

Work to improve 2nd Ave for people walking, biking, and driving has begun – this includes upgrading traffic signals and extending the 2-way protected bike lane along 2nd Ave from Pike St to Denny Way!

Three new signals and crossings at Clay, Cedar, and Vine streets along with new landscaping and lighting will improve walkability.

For those who are biking, a bike lane extension on 2nd Ave will create a direct, intuitive north/south route through downtown.

Drivers can anticipate more separation between modes through individual signal phases and signal timing improvements, which will move people more efficiently.

What will construction be like?

Preparing to replace traffic signals (and add new ones at Clay, Cedar, and Vine) will come first, which will include trenching up side streets to connect the signals to the electrical grid. Next, crews will remove curb bulbs and install the new protected bike lane. We want to keep you up to date!

SDOT is committed to keeping you informed in a variety of ways, including:

SDOT’s Street Use Division manages the City’s rights of way (ROW), regulating activities that impact safety, mobility and the environment. In these last few years of unprecedented growth, we’ve taken a more holistic approach to right-of-way management.

With our new Project Coordination Office, we’re looking further out for project planning – one to five years – to coordinate impacts to existing city infrastructure. The earlier we plan, the more we protect public assets, maintain mobility, streamline processes and improve service.

So, what if we took this idea even further, before conflicts exist? Coming in at the early design stage, we could reduce impact challenges for communities and planners. Enter the innovative Development Review Program. This new program starts with enhanced SDOT engagement during the early stages of private development projects. The chart below shows our previous practice versus SDOT’s new enhanced role. The improved coordination will help make private development review more thorough and efficient.

The program is in partnership with the Seattle Department of Construction and Inspection (SDCI) with SDOT increasing its engagement on development projects through the Master Use Permit (MUP) process. The MUP is a single permit that integrates all process, procedure, and review elements—and through this new collaborative City effort, will help ensure positive results. Development Review Program goals include:

Aligning private development with city priorities and multimodal operations

Providing high quality customer service with consistent information to the public and direction to developers

Identifying opportunities to better leverage private development for city transportation system improvements

Working together with the development community to design the city keeps it connected and vibrant— a better outcome for all!

When multiple construction projects are working close to one another, our Construction Hub Coordination Team steps in to minimize their collective impact on mobility. Just this week, we brought contractors together to keep pedestrian access open along Dexter Ave.

Looking southwest along Dexter

While completing work that makes the sidewalk next to their site too dangerous for pedestrians, Mill Creek Residential has temporarily closed the sidewalk on the west side of Dexter. During this closure, a pedestrian detour has been provided on the opposite side of the street. But when BNBuilders, working on the east side of the street, also reached a point in their project where they needed to close the sidewalk, our Hub team stepped in to help the two projects coordinate. Recognizing that closing the sidewalk on both sides of the street was not an option, the project teams met onsite with our Hub coordinator to find an agreeable solution. In the end, Mill Creek agreed to adapt the right of way on their side of the street to accommodate a pedestrian path, while BNBuilders funded the installation of barriers to protect pedestrians walking the new route.

By working together, SDOT and the construction project teams were able to maintain uninterrupted pedestrian access on Dexter, while also keeping both projects on schedule. This is just one example of how our Hub Coordination Team works to keep the public moving, makes it easy for contractors to be good neighbors, and provides for public safety.

With so much construction going on in Seattle, how do we keep downtown streets open and welcoming for holiday festivities and shoppers?

With the Holiday Construction Moratorium! This seasonal ban on construction supports Seattle businesses during the peak shopping season and reduces traffic congestion during this busy time of year. The Holiday Moratorium runs from Thanksgiving Day through New Year’s Day, November 24, 2016 to January 1, 2017.

During the moratorium, most construction which impacts the right-of-way (streets and sidewalks) will be prohibited in the Central Retail Shopping District or Pioneer Square District (see map below). Construction outside the moratorium zones may also be restricted if work would have a significant impact on the traveling public.

Over the next ten weeks, Seattle’s downtown construction projects will be working to wrap up their building season to clear the right-of-way before the holiday season begins.

Limited exceptions to the moratorium may be made for projects that do not impede the right of way, or are brief and quiet enough to be done during nighttime hours. If you plan to submit an exception request, start now – all exception requests must be received by SDOT Street Use by October 24, 2016.

No late exception requests will be granted unless emergency work is necessary for protection of public health and safety.

If a short term exception is granted, right-of-way-impacting work may begin 30 minutes after close of neighboring businesses and the City’s right of way must be cleared and restored by 6 AM the following business day. Other rules apply. For more details see Client Assistance Memo 2107: Holiday Construction Moratorium.